Cigarette case



1933- c. J. LAGERHOLM CIGARETTE CASE Fi1ed.April l8 1931 INVENTOR BY 4 ATroRNEN Patented Oct. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE CASE Application April 18, 1931.

2 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarette cases and particularly to a cigarette-holding device therein.

One object of the invention is to provide a cigarette holder or presser which may be readily opened and closed. Another object of the invention is to provide a simple construction for a cigarette holder or presser adapted to withstand hard usage. Another object or" the invention is to provide a resilient presser or holder dispensing n with the use of a separate spring. Another object of the invention is to provide a presser or holder construction which may be embodied in an article of attractive appearance. Another object of the invention is to firmly hold the cigarettes in place but allow them to be easily removed from the cigarette case. Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements,

and arrangements of parts, as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the mechanical features of this invention,

Figure l is an isometric view of an open cigarette case having a cigarette holder constructed according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an isometric view of the cigarette case showing the holder in an open position, the cigarette case being shown partly in section;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on a the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of a single presser member.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the cigarette case includes a box member if) and a cover member 11 which may, as indicated, be of substantially the same construction. The box member 10 has a back wall 12 and the cover member 11 has a front wall to the cigarette case 13, the walls 12 and 13 being substantially similar except, possibly, in the matter of surface design. End and side walls 14, 15, 16 and 17 are provided by the box 10 and are preferably formed by stamping, bending and soldering operations so that the parts of the box 10 so far described constitute a single piece. To give the cigarette case a thin, wedgelike appearance, the end and side walls 14, 15, 16 and 17 merge into the bottom wall 12 through inclined connecting portions 14a, 15a, 16a and Serial No. 531,077

17a. Similarly, in the case of the cover member 11, there are end and sidewalls 18, 19, 20 and 21 and inclined connecting portions 18a, 19a, 20a and 21a.

Secured to the side and end walls of both the box and the cover are flanges 14?), 15b, 16b and 17b in the case of the box, and 18b, 1912,2012 and 21b in the case of the cover. Desirably the four flanges of the box and the four flanges of the cover are respectively made of a single piece of metal which may be stamped into the desired shape and then secured in place as by soldering. The box 10 and-the cover '11 are connected by hinge elements 22 on the former and. 23. on the latter, a hinge pin 24 holding theparts together.

The hinge elements 22 and 23 may be tubular metal pieces secured by soldering in grooves formed in the flanges 16b and 20b and in the end walls 16 and 20.

Located in the side wall 21 and side fiange'Zlb is a member 25 having a latch portion 25a and an operating portion 25b and being spring pressed into latching position by a fiat spring 26. The latching portion 25a is adapted to snap under the flange 17b. To guide the latch 25 as it moves, parallel guide ways 27, 27 are cut in the flange 211), which is wider at the point where the latch 25 is located. The spring 26 is held in position by downwardly extending prongs 28 formed integral with the flange 21b.

Preferably formed integrally with the flanges 16b and 17b and struck upwardly therefrom are a pair of similar supports 36, 30, each comprising longitudinal arms 30a joined by a transverse piece 3019 which thus extend inwardly'of 'the cigarette case and are located above the plane of the flanges 16b and 17b, and thus, when the cover 11 is closed, are located in the cover. Notches 30c are formed in the longitudinal members 30a in order to hold the presser members against end thrust, for reasons that will be hereinafter explained.

The holding device of the invention extends between the cross pieces 30b, 30b. Referring now to Figure 1, the holding device consists of a pair of similar presser members 32, one of which is shown in Figure 4 in flattened out shape, that is, just after it is pressed out of sheet metal. De-' sirably the presser members 32 are made of phosphor bronze, as that is a light metal which may be readily stamped, presents an attractive appearance, is resilient enough and yet may be readily bent, and has the desired coefficient of friction.

I do not intend to indicate that other materials may not be used but the use of phosphor bronze or a similar metal or alloy results in certain advantages.

Each presser member 32 comprises a base portion 33 having forked extensions 34. which are bent over to form with said base portion 33 a hinge, three parallel members comprising a cen tral member 35 and two side members 36, 36 leaving two long slots 37, 37 in the body of each presser member; a transverse portion 38 joining the parallel members 35 and 36, a sliding guide 39 and a connecting portion 40. I

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the forked portions 34 and the base 33 having been bent into the form of hinges, each presser member 32 is located on one or" the transverse members 301) by means of the above described hinge, the hinge part being preferably located on the underside of the presser members and the presser members extending towards each other with sliding guides 39 generally in the central part of the cigarette case. Each sliding guide 39 is then interlocked with the parallel members 35 and 36 of the opposite presser member 32. Each sliding guide 39 has a middle portion 39a and a pair of laterally extending side portions 392), and the middle portion 39a is adapted to bear against the central parallel member 35 of the opposite presser 32, while the laterally extending side portions 3%, when the presser members are joined, extend against the outside parallel members 36. In order to interlock the presser members, one is locatred over the other and the laterally extending side portions 39b of the upper presser member are passed downwardly throughthe slots 37 of the opposite presser member and underneath the outside parallel members 36 thereof. Conversely, in the case of the'presser member which is under neath, the laterally extending side portions 391) of the sliding guide 39 are passed upwardly through the slots 37 and extend above the outer parallel members 36. Actually it is more convenient to unite the presser members 32 in the manner described before their hinges 33--34 are located to the transverse pieces 30b.

The length of the presser members 32 or their combined length is so chosen with respect to the distance bet-ween the transverse pieces that when they lie substantially in a common plane, as shown in Figure 1, the sliding guides 39 are spaced a substantial distance from the transverse portiQIlS .38. Thus the total length of the two presser members 32, 32 may be increased without disconnecting them. The distance between their hinges 33, 34, however, may not be increased because said hinges are in the notches 360 of the supports 39. When the ,finger is placed under the presser members 32 and they are pulled upwardly to th position shown in Figure 2, they will stay in that position owing to the increased friction of the sliding guides 39 on the parallel memb rs 35 and I to restore the presser members 32 to their former position, substantially in a plane, it is sufiicient to gently touch them on the upper side with a finger. It should be understood that the presser members are shaped so that their natural condition is a flat one, whereupon they exert tension when arched, but it is contemplated that they may be so formed as to be slightly arched, either downwardly or upwardly, when in an untensioned position, assuming a more pronounced or an opposite arched position when in a tensioned condition.

To insert cigarettes in the case, the presser members 32 are arched as shown in Figure 2, and when enough cigarettes have been placed in the case the pressers are snapped back into the position shown in Figure 1, where they exert slight pressure on the cigarettes. The presser members are returned to the closed position of Figure 1 by the mere act of shutting up the cigarette case.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a cigarette case and cigarette holder in which the various objects hereinabove set forth, together with many thoroughly practical advantages, are. successfully achieved.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention, and as manychanges might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Iclaim:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination, a casing, and means yieldably bridging across said casing, said means comprising two oppositely directed and overlapping yieldable sheet-metal members and means anchoring the remote ends thereof respectively to two side portions of said casing, the adjacent and overlapping portions of said two members having a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced slots, thereby to form at least three lon itudinally extending and substantially parallel bars in each member, each member terminating in a cross-piece and the cross-piece of each member being interwoven with the longitudinal parallel bars or" the other member, thereby to form an expansible cr sliding connection between said members.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a casing, and means for holding articles in said casing, said means including two relatively movable members, one of which is made up of at least two substantially parallel spaced bars connected at their ends by a cross-bar, the other of said members having adjacent its end and on opposite sides thereof two recesses, thereby forming a part in advance of said opposed recesses and a part to the rear of said opposed recesses, and said parallel bars being each received in one of said recesses, whereby said advance part extends across said bars on one side of the latter and said rear part extends across said bars on the other side of the latter, thereby forming a slidable connection between said two members.

CARL JULIUS LAGERHOLM. 

